Five Kitchen Hacks you’re going to love!

These five kitchen hacks are super simple and don’t involve buying anything fancy. (Unless you consider a mason jar fancy.)

You can save time, avoid trips to the store, and even save money at a certain coffee purveyor! I use #2 every single morning and #3 pretty much every time I serve frozen pizza because I tend to forget the preheating-the-oven part of making dinner. I’ll blame the four kids running around my house for that! Whether you are cooking for one or ten, these kitchen hacks will work for you.

1. Remove Clumps from Brown Sugar with Stale Bread.

Yes, you read that correctly. Simply place a piece of stale (or just not freshly baked) bread of any variety into your jar or bag of brown sugar. Within an hour or two, all those nasty clumps will be broken up and your brown sugar will be soft again.

2. Make a Latte with a Mason Jar and the Microwave.

Technically, if you are using coffee, not espresso, this is an au lait (Starbucks calls this off-the-menu drink a misto), but let’s not quibble over fancy coffee names. Put milk in a mason jar. Put the lid on and shake for 30 seconds. Next, remove the lid.  Last, microwave for 30 seconds. BOOM—steamed milk.

3. Heat Your Oven Faster by Turning on Broil First.

I am not advocating this as an energy saver, but if you are like me and constantly forget to preheat the oven when you need it on 450. Simply turn the oven on broil, for a few minutes and then change it to the temperature you need on bake. This hack saves me time and time again.

4. Prep Eggs with a Muffin Tin.

Whether you are making egg sandwiches or no-carb egg “muffins,” you can have eggs ready ahead of time by simply cracking them in a greased muffin tin and baking at 400 for 20 minutes. You can be basic by just cracking the egg in, or you can whip it up with some cheese or spinach or really anything for a mini quiche. Line the muffin tin with a slice of ham or bacon for even MORE easy deliciousness. The best part? If you do 12 at a time, you have a whole host of breakfasts or snacks for the week.

5. Use Substitutions.

If you’re like me, you are halfway through a recipe when you realize you don’t have one or more ingredients on the list. My favorite is making your own baking powder. I never have baking powder on hand, so I’m constantly trying this.
It is so easy- just combine 1 Tablespoon of baking soda plus 2 Tablespoons Cream of Tartar makes a perfect Baking Powder Substitute. Don’t ask why I have Cream of Tartar but not Baking Powder. For more substitutions you can print this list from Common Sense Homesteading. I also like the old Ask Your Neighbor to Borrow an Egg hack.

Do you have any simple kitchen hacks?
Share your favorite time-saving techniques in the comments!

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Kirsten Oliphant is a writer and blogger who spends a lot of time in the kitchen. You can find her recipes and posts about family life on her blog or get inspired about writing and blogging at Create If Writing.
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